Michigan Basketball: Predicting the starting five and two deep

Head coach Juwan Howard has a lot of tough decisions ahead of him, namely, setting the starting five and the rotation for this Michigan basketball team.

It should come as no surprise that while Juwan Howard respects former head coach John Beilein, Juwan is going to forge his own path. Certainly, Howard will utilize the starters that remained on the Michigan basketball team, but if you have been paying attention to recruiting, Juwan has a habit of concentrating his efforts on what most would call the one-and-doners, the top 40 players in their class.

“All I can say is this: I’m not going to try to be like Coach Beilein,” Howard said at Big Ten Media Days. “He has his philosophy, his way of doing things. I have my philosophy, and I feel that works for our team moving forward.”

While this team is talented, Beilein targeted a different type of player. One that required modeling to reach their true potential. Luckily, John’s sculpture was nearly complete prior to his departure.

The foundation is in place for coach Howard. Zavier Simpson is a lock at point guard, just as Jon Teske is at the center position. That leaves three positions for 13 men on the roster.

Clear favorites for specific positions are establishing themselves, including Isaiah Livers – one of the three to attend the Big Ten Media Days in Chicago. Livers is an expected starter that can play the wing or power forward.

Assuming Livers grabs one of those spots, there are still open positions at shooting guard, and most likely, at the wing.

Here’s a breakdown of each position and a prediction of the starter and their backups.